Last year, EA debuted its football franchise on the Vita under the name of FIFA Football (or FIFA Soccer depending on where you live). It was a carefully selected title, one that created distance between itself and the console version. It wasn’t quite the same but it had its own set of attributes – it took advantage of the touchscreen for passing and the rear touchpad for shooting, for instance. But one year later, things haven’t moved on. It’s the same, and the lack of parity with the excellent FIFA 13 on consoles is insulting. I don’t expect it to be the same game, but it doesn’t even try to be and that’s the worst part.

It has the same modes as last year, which are accessed via a slightly revamped new menu. Initially, I was cautious about calling FIFA 13 on Vita a cynical reskin but it’s evident from the screenshots below. And that extends throughout the game.

Last year&#Array;s game.

This year&#Array;s game.

Last year&#Array;s game.

Glitch in the matrix?

You have the same game modes as last year. There’s Virtual Pro and Career, where you craft and guide your own player through season after season. You can also be a manager. You can enter tournaments and, of course, there’s exhibition matches for those in need of a quick fix. Gameplay remains solid, and if you want to know more about it you can read my review from last year. It's solid enough but you can't get away from how little it's changed. The touchscreen passing still doesn't work as a viable alternative; the Vita has a large screen but it quickly becomes smaller with your fingers darting about the screen. Your hands obscure passes making incisive attacking play difficult (you'll also risk dropping your Vita). Shooting using the rear touch pad works well, though it makes scoring too easy from far out once you get the hang of it. Purists will continue to dislike it, as it removes an element of traditional skill from games.

It all feels stale and deeply underwhelming. There’s no unpredictable first touch. The dribbling system remains unchanged. No improved attacking intelligence. Things haven’t moved on, and those innovations which make FIFA 13 on consoles a refreshed, exciting experience are glaringly absent. FIFA on the Vita has been left behind.

Aside from the disappointing lack of gameplay innovations, perhaps what’s most disheartening about FIFA 13 is the omission of Football Club and Ultimate Team. It’s easy to imagine how both modes would thrive on a portable device, and maybe atone for the lack of genuine gameplay enhancements. You could be constantly accumulating experience points under the desk at work. You could micromanaging your Ultimate Team on your commute home. But without this integration, FIFA 13 is an oddly isolating, jarring experience.

Perhaps the greatest irony here is that FIFA 13 on 360, PS3 and PC is a game that’s all about keeping in step with the world of football as it changes over the course of a season. It never lets itself slip out of touch with reality, adjusting player ratings in accordance with how their real-life counterparts are faring, blurring the distinction between the game and the sport. FIFA 13 on Vita has none of these features. It doesn’t mind being out of touch, and is more than content with its own stagnation.

FIFA 13 Wiki

The Verdict

Sports games have moved on. New kits and boots aren’t enough to justify a full-price release. Despite adopting the same name, FIFA 13 on Vita is not at all consistent with the console version nor does it function as a satisfying companion game. Ultimately, it’s all frustrating if you own a Vita – the potential of the hardware is not being explored. FIFA 13 should be an essential purchase, a way to continue the same great game while on the move, but instead it’s a cynical cash-in. If you want to play FIFA on your Vita, the best option is to pick up FIFA Football from last year at half the price.

IGN's rating system characterises anything between 4.0-4.9 as 'Bad', saying "Something went wrong during development and this egg went a little rotten. There's nothing worse than a game that ends up as "bad" on our scale, because it usually means there was some potential that the developer couldn't live up to."

There's nothing inherently wrong with FIFA 13 on the Vita from a mechanical point of view. But something went wrong. EA has chosen not to get behind Sony's latest handheld. The potential of FIFA on a handheld certainly hasn't been realised.